A few weeks ago, the governor of Lagos State, Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu, announces that he was dropping the appellation Excellency, and should simply be addressed as Mr Governor.
A lot of people felt he was just grandstanding, especially given the challenges that Lagos currently faces with traffic and failing roads. For me, though I thought it was an important symbolic step, in our ongoing struggle to change the narrative of power and the African big man!
Yes, it is a symbolic gesture, but important still if we want to move away from the very debilitating mindset of corrosive respect and sycophancy that makes us supplicant to abuse by so-called elders, big men and politicians who fail to deliver, yet constantly expect reverence to their constituted authority.
Some governors, ministers even local government chairmen now take offence if you don’t address them properly. The culture of reverence of power has to die.
How much of an excellency are you, when we are living in the midst of obscene poverty and want.
There is nothing excellent about the situation in Nigeria right now. When they deliver excellent service then perhaps we might consider addressing them as such.
